Prophecy or Pride
by Aeronization
Summary: After the successful defense of Hearthglen, Arthas moves to assess the situation of Stratholme, join him through his quest to save Lordaeron.
1. Defence of Hearthglen

Prophecy or Pride

Prince Arthas Menethil has never been a patient man, and knowing that the only way that he was going to lead his men to victory was with additional reinforcements from Lord Uther irritated him immensely. Without additional manpower every civilian, and soldier in Hearthglen was going to be consumed by the undead plague. Jaina Proudmoore had just been sent to inform Lord Uther of the impending doom Hearthglen was facing, and to bring his Knights of the Silverhand to Hearthglen to cleanse the area. The infected grain had already been distributed amongst part of the population of villagers, and were euthanized once the plague had taken effect, a quarantine was quickly put into effect.

"Captain Valonforth I need an update on the list of supplies, and available manpower, I need every able body man preparing for combat. I need defensive positions established immediately, we wont be able to hold the line indefinitely and will need a position to fall back to." Arthas ordered.

Arthas turned to his newest officer and said "Lieutenant Marwyn you are going to take command of the eastern flank, and make sure that area holds as long as possible, build fortifications, but be prepared to fall back steadily towards the main fortifications in the town center, keep losses to a minimum."

Captain Valonforth and Lieutenant Marwyn bowed and said "At once my prince." in unison.

Addressing his second in command, and best friend Arthas said "Falric we both know we can't hold Hearthglen without more help, I need you to..." Arthas was cut off by a footman sprinting towards him with news.

"Prince Arthas, we've spotted a large undead caravan loaded with plagued grain headed towards the outlying villages"

Arthas cursed his luck, he couldn't hold Hearthglen,and protect the outlying villages from becoming infected, and turning his people into mindless undead slaves. 'What can I do, how can I stop this from happening' Arthas thought to himself. 'I can't save everyone, not with the soldiers I have right now, I need a large company of Legionaires to save everyone, I have to gather more soldiers'

With a look of determination, Arthas spoke "Captain, we can't leave the outer villages to their fate, take the local militia here and travel to the outer villages, tell them to make their way to the last outer village and to begin forifying that area, you will responsible for holding that last village with the towers constructed by the villagers, and the militia you bring with you. Once all of the villagers have retreated safely to the last outlying village, you will send a messenger to Mardenholde Keep requesting additional reinforcements for your position. Taelan Fordring should have some forces to spare for our battle. I expect to see you once Uther arrives."

With a fist on his heart Captain Falric said only one word "Naturally", then rushed off to gather the local militia gathering in the town square.

Thinking to himself Arthas could only hope his friend would be able to save the outlying villagers. 'I wasn't expecting the outlying villages to be attacked as well, my forces were spread thin as it was, but now I have to hope that Taelan Fordring has some knights that can help turn the tide of the battle in the outlying villages. It's out of my hands now, I have to trust Falric to do his duty'

Arthas quickly made his way into the town square, where the troops he brought with him were setting up defenses just under Captain Valonforths orders, he could see Lieutenant Marywn headed eastward with about twenty five percent of their total forces. 'Marywn is a battle tested officer, he will hold the line against the undead, I need to bring the rest of the forces with me to the main battle line on the outskirts of town'.

"Captain Valonforth, I have more orders for you" Arthas shouted at his captain in the distance

"Milord, what else needs to be done?" Valonforth questioned

"Falric took the majority of the militia with him to help defend the outlying villages from the undead caravan, but that has put a large dent in our forces that can defend this position here in the center of Hearthglen, I need you to collect all extra weapons, and armor, then take as many able bodied villagers as possible and begin teaching them the basics of close combat, and the importance of the phalanx formation, equip any woman that volunteers to fight with a bow, and teach her as much as you can as quickly as you can. Remember these villagers are going to form a new secondary militia, they don't need to be professional soldiers. You have as long as I can hold the frontline, after that they need to be combat ready." Arthas explained with haste to his eldest captain.

"My prince, what you are asking would normally take weeks to accomplish, the militia that Falric took with him have practiced many times on their formations, and attacks, the men... and boys that I will be teaching won't be able to put up a fight against the undead." Captain Valonforth replied exasperated

Arthas looked around the village with anger "If these people can't fight, they will die, we have only one option, hold out until Uther can arrive, the towers you constructed earlier will provide plenty of ranged support, but without men in formation, the undead will overwhelm the towers, and overwhelm all of the Hearthglen."

"I understand my prince, give me as much time as possible, and I will try to get these villagers into proper formation, hopefully Lieutenant Marwyn will be able to hold and prevent the undead from flanking us, if he can do that, we should be able to outlast the undead in this battle." Captain Valonforth declared optimistically.

Arthas thought about the Lieutenant, 'He is a Silverhand Initiate, and has skill with the holy light, hopefully he can put that to good use, if he can, he will be a Knight of the Silverhand soon enough.' The time for action has come, the battle for Hearthglen was about to begin.

"Warriors of Lordaeron, Sons of Hearthglen, look around you, we have prepared towers, and walls to help stem the tide of the undead, but they will come. Oh they will come. I have ordered one of my captains to lead the majority of the local militia to help protect the outlying villages. I have ordered one of my lieutenants to gather a large force, about twenty five perecent of our total fighting force to protect our eastern flank, this will give us the opportunity to face the undead from only one direction, but now our forces are spread very thin protecting our eastern flank, and the outlying villages, but we must hold until Lord Uther can bring reinforcements. Another of my captains is training everyone who wasn't previously part of the militia to wield a sword, and to shoot a bow, the villagers who are brave enough to defend their land will give us a small boost to our fighting strength, but not enough. We must all value our lives, if you can't continue to fight, retreat and get your wounds healed, every death only bolsters the enemies numbers. We must look out for each other, we are all brothers today, we fight not for Lordaeron, not for the Crown, we fight for our very survival today, and that will make us fight that much harder!" Arthas shouted, inspiring his people to fight harder and last longer in combat.

"Assemble soldiers of Lordaeron, form Phalanxes, protect the man to your left with your shield, and sword. Hold the undead at bay, archers get into those towers and start focusing fire on priority targets, these include those Necromancers, traitors to humanity, and the Abominations, aim carefully. We will be steadily falling back towards the center of town to keep losses to a minimum" Arthas ordered his troops with ease.

The Undead were relentless, constantly pushing forward, reinforced by countless graves, and zombified villagers. The archers were able to consistently focus the necromancers preventing them from summoning more reinforcements, but the Abominations were much harder to kill, pushing through the phalanxes much quicker than expected. With the Abominations hammering through the phalanx formations, ghouls and zombies were able to start catching footmen by surprise and overwhem them quickly. The highly trained forces were blessed by the holy light as Arthas jumped into the fray slamming ghouls and zombified villagers into the void with his personal weapon, Light's Vengeance, a massive Warhammer. The weaked Abominations littered with arrows turned towards Arthas, and raised a cleaver, but never got the chance as a bolt of holy light thundered unto its head immediately killing the creature. Arthas looked around at the dying soldiers lying around him and shouted "Ressurection" bringing these near dead soldiers back to life and energized. As the first wave of undead ceased to exist, the roars of new emerging undead could be heard as they entered the battle, more Abominations were in view supported Necromancers eager to turn every lost soldier into additional undead reinforcements.

Arthas grumbled as he looked around the battlefield, being low on mana, and unable to directly change the course of the fight he swore and noticed they that they were beginning to lose soldiers, and phalanxes were beginning to fall apart due to the large Abominations. Suddenly a hail of arrows brought down one of the grotesque beasts. Arthas looked behind him and saw a large contingent of archers moving towards the frontline. 'Valonforth must be done teaching these recruits the basics of archery, but we still need to begin falling back' Arthas mused.

"All units begin falling back at the planned intervals, slow the undead as much as possible" Arthas ordered, watching the men slowly take turns in shifting phalanxes covering each others retreat, the archers began abandoning the towers in the front salvaging what they could, and retreating to archer towers positioned further back.

Just as the last group of footmen in phalanx formation fell back to their designated area, Captain Valonforth rushed forward with some newly trained footmen militia that were ready to help protect their town.

"My Prince, these are the last of the recruits I trained, we have no further reinforcements until Uther arrives" Captain Valonforth shouted, a bit out of breath.

"That's alright, the new influx of archers have allowed us to protect our footmen phalanxes well enough that the Abominations, and necromancers are not able to support the regular undead, their claws do not penetrate the footmens thick armor easily. We might just hold yet." Arthas told his Captain in a supportive manner. "We have Lieutenant Marywn to thank that the undead are not able to swarm us, but are forced through the choke point we have established with our walls and towers".

"Speaking of which have we received any word from Marywn? I was not sure of his ability to defend the eastern flank, but he must be doing a good job. I can't say I am surprised though, the Silverhand is capable of many great deeds." Valonforth praised.

Arthas was just thinking the same thing about his newest officer, he expected him to fall back already.  
'Could something have gone wrong? Was his path of retreat cut off? Was he actually fighting the main body of the undead, is that that why we are still holding so easily?'

Looking around at the camp, and seeing how little resistance the undead were putting up now Arthas decided to say "Luc take a group of men and check on Marwyn, I want to make sure his path of retreat is not cut off, when you arrive order him to begin falling back to the town center, Uther should be here soon. I will begin the construction of additional walls and archer towers."

"At once my liege" Luc Valonforth responded, taking a large group of soldiers to clear out any undead they may encounter on the way.

Once the additional walls and archer towers were constructed, and previous waves of undead removed from the field and set aflame, Captain Valonforth and Lieutenant Marwyn were both seen retreating with their forces from a large undead contingent. By this point Arthas was exhausted from directing the battle, and fighting on the fronline trying to keep as many men alive as possible with the use of Holy Light, but seeing his officers, and soldiers retreating from the large undead force sent him into overdrive.

Arthas roared "Archers fire at will, thin out that horde, footmen get into phalanx formation, allow our allies through the line, and then get ready to brace for combat, we must continue to hold, Uther shall be here any moment!"

The phalanxed footmen allowed their allies through, and braced themselves upon their shields, slicing as a unit in tandem to kill lines of undead at the same time. Suddenly a loud horn was heard, and each warrior took a moment to look towards the sound, they were greeted by the Banners of Lordaeron, and the Silverhand. Uther and his Knights had finally arrived to help vanquish the undead.

Arthas turned his head and saw his Mentor riding into combat, slaying many ghouls in the process before he finally stopped in front of him, the massive Warhammer, The Lightbringer, hefted over his shoulder.

"My boy what have you gotten yourself into? I must say I am pleased that you have defended this area so well with so few forces." Uther said giving Arthas a fatherly pat on the shoulder. Uther spotted Luc Valonforth and Marywn tending to the men and giving orders when necessary, "Where is Falric...? Arthas don't tell me he didn't make it." Uther asked with concern.

"I gave Falric orders to defend the outlying villages, and gave him command of the local militia forces to take with him, he should be at the last outlying village with support from Mardenholde Keep" Arthas replied.

Uther gave a sigh of relief "Thank goodness." Uther looked around satisfied that the battle had been won, "I'll go get Falric, and tell him of your great victory here in Hearthglen, you've got some other company to deal with." Uther walked off without another word towards Mardenholde Keep and the outlying villages.

As Arthas turned his head, he came across the blonde hair of a woman he loved long ago, Jaina Proudmoore, the woman who brought Uther here to Hearthglen, and thus inadvertenly saved his life. "Thank you for getting here Jaina, you couldn't have come at a better time." Jaina shifted around before giving Arthas a hug "Thank you for making it out alive, I don't know what I would have done if you had not made it, but listen we can talk later, I need to go see if I can help heal anyone else." Jaina walked off leaving Arthas alone with his thoughts. 'We will need to move towards Stratholme and make sure that city was not infected by the plague.'

"Arthas... I am sorry, I lost more men that I had planned." Arthas turned to see Lieutenant Marwyn standing in front of him. "I just tried to hold the line as long as possible, and I succeeded, but I lost almost a third of the men I brought with me." Marwyn lamented. "Lieutenant, not every soldier is going to survive, you must live with that, but remember each soldier is willing to give his life so that a civilian can live another day, you did very well defending our eastern flank, without your coordination and battle skills, the main force I was commanding might have been surrounded and overwhelmed before Lord Uther could arrive. Have faith in yourself Marwyn." Arthas advised.

After Arthas went over the causality lists he realized that he lost about half of his standing forces, and about a quarter of the militia forces recruited in the battle. After supplementing his ranks with anyone who wanted to follow him to Stratholme, Arthas left Taelan Fordring in command to defend the province of Hearthglen against any more undead threats. Uther wanted to stay a bit later to see if he could learn anything else from the battle to use against the undead.

Arthas, Jaina, and his commanders all met in the command tent to decide what their next move should be.

"Without any input from King Terenas, you have command of the situation Prince Arthas" Captain Falric stated.

Looking around the room Arthas decided to say what his idea was. "Yes I understand that, and I think we should head towards Stratholme to determine how much infested grain made it into the city from Andorhal. However Jaina, I want you to do something else." Jaina's face fell when he said this "I want you to go to Dalaran and try to convince your master Archmage Antonidas to send more help to stop this plague, the Magi of Dalaran are an excellent fighthing force, especially when supported by columns of Lordaeron Soldiers."

Jania shifted uncomfortably "Arthas I don't know if I can convince my master to send any more help, but I will try my best, Studying the plague of undeath might be enough to get him to send more assistance to help quell the plague."

Arthas looked around the room and decided to begin their journey to Stratholme.

_**Authors Notes:**_

_Hey everyone thanks so much for reading for the first chapter of my new story. I am a huge Arthas fan, and I have always wondered about all the different possibilties there could have been for him from becoming King, to becoming the new Highlord of the Silverhand after Uther, to leading the Scarlet Crusade, to fleeings to Kalimdor, and perhaps fleeings south to Stormwind, or Stromgarde._

_Anyway please revivew the chapter, tell me what should be improved, if there were any obvious mistakes I made, and what I should change about my writing style, like are the paragraphs too long, too short? How is the dialogue? Also give me examples I am open to improving my writings, and my presentation to you, my readers! I will probably rewrite this soon, as this is a rouge draft to get me motivated and writing._

_Enjoy chapter 1!_

_-Aeronization_

_P.S. I have updated the chapter with a bit of additional fighting material! And I have done a few quick spelling errors and such. Let me know if you see anything else and I will try to fix it._


	2. Surrounded on all Sides

**Prophecy or Pride**

Turning around and looking into the distance Arthas could barely see the township of Hearthglen anymore, the fields surrounding the area were the only visible trace of the settlement. Arthas looked around at the legion of soldiers under his command, many militia forces from Heartghlen opted to continue following their Prince, and a large chunk of his veteran soldiers have been divided into thinner formations to make room for these new inexperienced soldiers. Arthas hoped that by training and standing in formation with veteran soldiers the militia troops would begin fighthing better. The Magi from Dalaran and Quel'Thalas were invaluable with magical support and arcane abilities, engaging from the rear of formations. Quite a few Knights of the Silverhand requested to be put under Arthas' command following the battle of Hearthglen so his ranks were bolstered by many powerful Knights fluent in use of the holy light, an invaluable asset.

Coming out his thoughts about his army, Arthas walked off the side of the road and away from his army to clear his head when he heard a voice interrupt his quest for solitude.

"My Prince" A man with graying facial hair said.

Arthas turned to take a better look at the man addressing him, he wore an old brown cloak that appeared to have feathers coming out of the hood, and a long wooden staff, perhaps a mage. 'I should be on my guard, this man could be dangerous' Arthas thought to himself.

"Do you need help" Arthas said at last.

"Do I need help? Everyone needs help, but Lordaeron needs help above all. I have spoken with your father, King Terenas, and the Lord of Dalaran, High Archmage Antonidas, both have ignored the words I will present to you." The man said, adjusting himself and he began to explain "This land is doomed, the plague of undeath will run its course and consume this nation... but perhaps not its people, there is a chance to save the people you so desperately care for, lead them to ancient lands of Kalimdor, lead them to salvation. Only in the forgotten lands can you save your people, the burden of this task has fallen to you now." The Prophet said, letting his voice echo as much it could.

Arthas thought about what the man had said, leaving his nation, his birthright, all behind based on the words of one man. 'Preposterous' Arthas thought at once. 'I can't just abandon Lordaeron, I would lose the respect of every citizen, every noble, every race, and even my own fathers respect if I just fled Lordaeron with a handful of people.'

"You're words have not fallen on deaf ears, but simply leaving Lordaeron is not an easy task, I have a duty to my people, my nation, and my father. I must stay and lead our armies, without my leadership the undead might sweep through all of Lordaeron unchecked, and would follow us across the sea. What you are asking is not possible, not even fathomable. I was born to do this, to stop the undead, I will show you that this disaster can be averted, I will contain this plague, and I will push it back to where it came" Arthas barked at the Prophet.

The Prophet looked sadly at Arthas and replied "I will have to find another to take up the cup then, but remember this Prince Arthas, the harder you fight to stop the undead, the faster you will deliver them into their hands." Without another word the Prophet morphed into a Raven and flew away. At that moment Jaina Proudmoore walked towards Arthas, dropping her invisibility spell.

"That man has a powerful aura emanating from him Arthas, he could be right. I don't even know if the Dalranei Mages can create a cure for the undeath spreading throughout all of Lordaeron. Fleeing to a new land, to a new area to buy us more time might be the only chance we have." Jaina said letting her thoughts become words.

"Jaina you're asking me to abandon my country, my pride, and the people who wont follow me to their fates. I just can't do that Jaina." Arthas said a little angry that Jaina would even suggest such a thing.

At that moment Captain Falric stepped out into sight. "My Prince, Lady Jaina, the army is ready to continue moving towards Stratholme, we just need the order sire. My lady this is also the junction that leads south towards Dalaran."

Jaina took one last look at Arthas before running off south towards her destination in Dalaran. Arthas followed his friend back to the base camp that was almost finished packing and ready to head towards Stratholme. 'I'm not sure what I should do about Jaina, or if I should even do anything, and about what that Prophet said, if I were to believe him is there anything that can be done? I can't just leave, I simply can't.' Arthas thought to himself. Remembering thoughts about recent Orcish uprisings in Southern Lordaeron, Arthas thought he should do something about that, perhaps Aedelas Blackmoore could use more soldiers to help defend that area.

"Captain Valonforth come over here." The Captain walked towards his Prince and asked "What is it my Prince?".

"Do you remember those reports coming in about Orcish uprising in the South? We can't allow those reports to go unanswered, so I am ordering you to move South towards Durnholde and to work under Aedelas Blackmoore as his second in command. Keep the Orcish threat in the South contained, I can't lead a crusade against the Undead, AND the Orcs. I have faith in your abilities Captain, take half of our standing forces for the battle against the Orcs." Arthas explained to his eldest Captain.

Luc Valonforth looked mortified "I can't do that Prince Arthas, taking half of our standing forces would make you far to undermanned to deal with the Undead threat, surely Durnholde does not that many soldiers!".

Arthas sighed, looking tired "Trust in my judgement Captain, I can always summon more reinforcements from Stratholme, and Tyr's Hand. However Southern Lordaeron does not have nearly as much resources to raise an army, so you need to go South with half of our standing forces and keep the peace. If anything happens, you can attempt to fall back towards Stratholme."

"Alright my liege, I will gather half of our standing forces and make way towards Durnhole and help quell the Orcish uprising." Captain Luc Valonforth said as he gathered up half of Arthas' standing forces.

Arthas groaned to himself wondering if he made the right choice 'Something had to be done about the Orcs, if they were left unchecked, Durnholde would inevitably fall to the Horde, and Lordaeron did not have the resources left to stop them if that happened. Regardless, the decision is made, I should speak with Marwyn and Falric and discuss what our next move should be once we arrive at Stratholme.'

Once the army was properly divided and moved towards Stratholme and Durnholde respectively, Arthas dicussed what should be done at Stratholme if the infected grain from Andorhal reached the city.

Arthas started the conversation "We are outside the gates of Stratholme, Falric, Marwyn tell me what you think we should do if the grain has been distributed amongst the populace?"

Falric readily replied "If the priests and clerics of the Silverhand can't undo the plague, then we should quarantine them like we did in Hearthglen, and euthanize them once the infection begins to take over."

Marwyn countered with a different idea "It is likely that the plague has spread to Stratholme through the infected grain, we could alternatively seek some support from Elves in Quel'Thalas. Our Human priests and clerics can only do so much, but Elven priests have lived long studious lives, and may have a solution for people recently infected from the grain."

Arthas couldn't be happier for his protege. 'He can think outside the box, his suggestion could save many lives, but it might lead to nothing, the Elven priests might not be able to do anything. Perhaps it is time for him to look for a mentor, and maybe for me to look for an Apprentice, I have learned much from Uther, and could pass the knowledge I gained to another. Perhaps not, I am still young and can learn much more.'

"Requesting some help from the Elves might be the best option, since you came up with the idea, Marwyn you will take another half of our forces and go to Quel'Thalas requesting assistance, the elves still owe me a debt for the troll campaigns I led earlier in my life." Arthas said agreeing with Marwyn

"Thank you my Prince! I will not fail you, I will see to the preparations immediately" Marywn enthusiastically cheered with joy at being given such an important task.

'He is still so young, even compared to me, the ten year difference is obvious, look at me sounding like an old man at 28.' Arthas reflected.

"Haha, Falric he is very excited, but I need you to do something else for me, Go to Tyr's Hand and speak with General Abbendis, give him this royal decree ordering him to start raising an army, we are going to need it in order to survive this conflict, and having more villagers trained in combat can only help our cause, you will take the rest of the army with you, and help train the new recruits that General Abbendis will obtain, I will take only the Knights of the Silverhand with me, they will be able to at least slow the progression of the plague until Elvish assistance arrives." Came the important order of Arthas.

"As you wish Arthas, but do I really need that many men? You should take at least half of the footmen of our Legion. I will manage just fine without them." Falric responded, trying to convince Arthas.

"You're right, I could use some more soldiers to help solidify order in Stratholme, Goodluck Captain." Arthas replied reconsidered his troop adjustment.

"My life for Lordaeron!, Soldiers we are moving out to Tyr's Hand! Head out!" Came the orders of Captain Falric to the men that were going to be stationed with him in Tyr's hand.

Arthas reflected on what has happned so far, his once massive Legion of soldiers had been split into many smaller forces to try and deal with the many threats facing Eastern and Southern Lordaeron. Luc Valonforth and half of the original army had been sent south to Durnholde to help aid Aedelas Blackmoore in keeping the Orcish threat in check. Lieutenant Marywn had taken twenty five percent of the original legions soldiers further east towards Quel'Thalas to ask for assistance from the Elves. Twelve percent of the original legion had gone to Tyr's Hand with Captain Falric to help Lord Abbendis train the new recruits for another Legion. 'That leaves the last thirteen percent of the original legion here with me near Stratholme. I wont be able to rely on reinforcements from Uther this time, nor will Marywn or Falric be able to reach me in time to help me if something goes wrong. I will speak with Baron Rivendare, and his son Aurius Rivendare and see what the situation in Stratholme is.' Arthas decided.

"Soldiers it's time to start moving into the City of Stratholme, we will centralize our forces near Baron Rivendare's keep, we all know how the plague spreads, eating infected grain will make anyone slowly succumb to the sickness. Fortunately this time around we have Knights of the Silverhand with us here this legion, but there are also more Knights and Clerics of the Silverhand within Stratholme at their base of operations in Alonsus Chapel. Any citizens showing signs of sickness are to be quarantined to Alonsus Chapel where the Clerics will oversee their condition. If they can't be saved until the Elven priests arrive they will be humanely euthanized as they were in Hearthglen. I will speak with Baron Rivendare and his son Aurius Rivendare, after that I will take command of the City Garrison and start preparing for any possible sieges Stratholme might face from the undead hordes." Arthas explained to his soldiers.

After the speech, a loud applause was heard for the Prince's plan of defense. Once inside the city the soldiers went about their business consolidating near Baron Rivendares keep and checking for signs for infected villagers in Stratholme. Arthas was waiting in the meeting room when Baron Rivendare and his heir walked in.

"Welcome Prince Arthas Menethil, Heir of Lordaeron, how can I be of service today?" Baron Rivendare proclaimed dramatically.

"We have must words, Baron Rivendare, A plague has been..." Arthas finished explaining the events of Hearthglen, and how an undead army was likely moving through most of Lordaeron, and his intent to fortify Stratholme, but leaving out the details of what his commanders were doing in Tyr's Hand, Quel'Thalas, and Durnholde.

"This is troubling indeed, with infected grain from Andorhal, that region will soon become a festering sore for us, the undead will multiply there and cut Lordaeron in half. I assume in Western Lordaeron King Terenas will lead, while you will lead the Eastern Half Prince Arthas?" Baron Rivendare pointed out.

"Indeed, I will assume command of the Eastern Half of Lordaeron if we are split off from the West, we are in a better location, the undead can only funnel in from one point towards the east, once we have enough man power, I will be looking to foritfy the entrance into Eastern Lordaeron with troops from both Stratholme, and Tyr's Hand, perhaps even additional reinforcements from Quel'Thalas can help."

Aurius Rivendare took this moment to interject "The Elves wont be able to help us in any substanial way, the Trolls of Zul'Aman, led by Zul'jin are a terrible force plaguing Quel'Thalas for quite sometime. They will not be able to send any aid or the Trolls will begin to ravage their lands."

Arthas decided to tell them part of his plan. "My Lieutenant Marywn has been dispatched with a large portion of my forces to help the Elves, and ask for additional reinforcements, If anything right now we lack ranged support for our frontline soldiers. Elven Sorceress', Priests, and Rangers would be an invaluable asset to the defense of Eastern Lordaeron."

Suprisingly Baron Rivendare spoke "I agree, no one can argue that the Elves have the finest marksmen in the Alliance. If some of our footmen are stationed in Quel'Thalas they will be able to send some support."

Arthas was happy his planning was coming to fruition and continued "Excellent I am glad we agree, I will take command of the City Garrison and begin additional fortification of Stratholme, as this is the first target the undead will attack. Once the initial wave of Undead has been repelled, I will call for reinforcements from Quel'Thalas and Tyr's Hand, and we will push forward towards the Bridge that seperates Eastern and Western Lordaeron, once that position is captured, and fortified, I will lead a portion of our forces to Quel'Thalas and help the elves drive out the Amani Tribe so they can lend their full support to our cause, they elves do not forget debts."

Aurius Rivendare looked at Arthas in amazement "My Prince I am surprised you have so much foresight, that is quite the battle plan, is there anything else we can do to help?"

Arthas thought carefully about what to reveal "The infected grain that arrived from Andorhal was liekly distributed to part of the populace, that means some people are infected, I ordered my soldiers to quarantine any infected citizens to Alonsus Chapel, the Clerics there can hopefully stem the spread of the disease and perhaps find a way to heal them, if not there is nothing we can do to save them. I have one last request I need of both of you, you are both Nobles, not commanders, oversee the city, but do not interfere in military matters, continue making Stratholme prosperous, an economic center, but leave military matters to myself."

Baron Rivendare thought to himself before saying "I will agree to this, but keep me informed of what you plan to do, if anything so I can oversee the costs of maintaining and supplying the forces under your command. Also I want you to take my son Aurius as a Lieutenant under your command, teach him what you can about combat, he is an excellent administrator by working with me to oversee Stratholme for so many years, but he needs combat experience."

Arthas looked at the young man, 'Perhaps eighteen the same age as Marwyn, but I don't need anymore commanders right now, but I shouldn't say no, that runs the risk of making Stratholme my seat of power more difficult'

Arthas sighed, replying "I will take him under my command as a lieutenant, but he will not being seeing any combat on the front lines for quite some time, nor will he lead any troops for the time being, once I feel he has successfully done the tasks I have laid out for him I will give him commands of greater responsibility."

Aurius smiled then said "Of course my prince, let me prove my worth, I will prove I can become an adaptive commander and trusted advisor.

"Excellent now that we are all in agreement, I must see what the my soldiers have found, Aurius follow me, it's time for the men to meet their new lieutenant."

Arthas began walking outside Rivendare Keep towards Alonsus Chapel to see how many infected villagers there were, bur halfway towards Alonsus Chapel Arthas head a voice say "I have been waiting for you, young prince, I am Mal'Ganis".

_**Authors Notes!**_

_**Keep reviewing guys if you like the story, the more reviews, the more motivated I am to crank out a new Chapter! Did you like the cliff hanger for this chapter? Sorry there werent any battle scenes this chapter, will be plenty next chapther in the defense of stratholme!**_

_**Also on a side note if you are confused about how the forces split up, this is how it was.**_

_**50% Luc Valonforth to Durnholde**_

_**-General Aedelas Blackmoore = Commander**_

_**-Captain Luc Valonforth = 2nd in Command **_

_**25% Lieutenant Marwyn to Quel'Thalas**_

_**-Unnammed Elvish Leader = Commander**_

_**-Lieutenant Marwyn = Leader of Human Forces in Quel'Thalas(for now)**_

_**12.5% Captain Falric to Tyrs' Hand**_

_**-General Abbendis(Father of Bridgette) = Commander of Tyr's Hand(And Lord of Tyr's Hand)**_

_**-Captain Falric = 2nd in Command(?)**_

_**12.5% Arthas Menethil to Stratholme**_

_**-Arthas Menethil = Commander(Crown Prince trumps all but King)**_

_**-Aurius Rivendare, Heir of Stratholme = 2nd in Command(for now)**_

_**I hope that helps a bit.**_


	3. Battle for Stratholme

**Prophecy or Pride**

_Forsaken or Salvation_

Arthas turned towards the voice addressing itself as Mal'Ganis, this creature looked like a demon of some sort, with batlike wings, pointed ears, smoldering eyes, and horns protruding from its head. 'So this must be the leader of the undead, perhaps only a demonic commander of the undead' Arthas thought.

Mal'Ganis ran over to a household containing villagers and tore it down, some infected villagers missed by Arthas' soldiers were at once turned into zombified villagers. 'No! This can't be happening I wasn't quick enough, some infected villagers slipped through and are being turned into zombies, they will spread the plague to the rest of the uninfected villagers. My forces are spread thin right now to openly engage the undead forces, and zombified villagers, if only I had culled the infected, I could fight Mal'Ganis... no that's not an option. I need to organize my soldiers and start evacuating non combatants towards Alonsus Chapel, that will be the safest area, after that I can pushed towards the graveyard where Mal'Ganis has made his base of operations.

"Aurius we need to pull back and start evacuating the civilians, head towards the city garrison and take command there, order the garrison to begin setting up blockades and to prevent any undead from passing by their location. This is your first order, do not fail me." Arthas ordered his newest lieutenant.

Aurius slammed his fist on his chest, next to heart and said "At once my liege.".

"You can run, but that wont do you any good." Mal'Ganis taunted as Arthas and Aurius retreated.

As Arthas watched Aurius run off towards the city garrison center, he made his way towards Alonsus Chapel. 'I have never been happier to call myself a Paladin, it gives me authority over the Knights stationed at Alonsus Chapel, so I can count on their loyalty, regardless of weather or not they respect my status as prince. I'll have my regular soldiers reinforce, and set up new fortifications near the city garrison to prevent them from falling to the undead, hopefully Aurius proves to be a competent commander. I'll keep the bare minimum of troops at the Chapel to maintain order from the large influx of civilians fleeings the city proper, however we will need a counter offensive if we hope to retake the city, I'll bring only Knights of the Silverhand with me, their powerful command of the holy light will prove useful in tactical strikes into the undead base. Once I breach the undead lines, I can order Aurius to begin pushing forward with the city garrison, and soldiers I have brought with me, then the push into the Stratholme Graveyard should be easy enough.' Arthas contemplated his thoughts.

As Arthas neared Alonsus Chapel he saw a large contingent of Knights mounting preparing for the inevitable combat.

"Brothers, we all know that Stratholme can't fall, we wont be able to hold off the Undead advances without the strategic location Stratholme provides, not to mention the loss of this economic center would prove fatal. I have ordered Aurius Rivendare to begin fortifying the paths towards Alonsus Chapel, but the city garrison, and regular soldiers I have brought with me will not be enough, our mastery of the Holy Light will be the deciding factor in this battle. We will strike hard punching a line through undead ranks, wreck havoc from within the undead ranks, once we are surrounded Aurius will be given orders to push forward and this will split the undead ranks in half, once we surround them we can eliminate the threats and push into the graveyard to end this battle."

A cheer was heard as the Knights of the Silverhand heard the battle plan, knowing that their leader had the foresight and strategy thought out to save Stratholme.

"Knights! Mount up, we are going to be charging into the fray any mome..." Suddenly Aurius Rivendare came running toward Arthas with the regular soldiers that were supposed to be helping the City Garrison.

"Prince Arthas, my father took command of the city garrison, and has begun to kill off the infected villagers, and engaging the undead in combat already, it's only a matter of time before the City Garrison is depleted and Stratholme is lost, something has to be done now." Aurius explained with haste.

Arthas looked around his soldiers and the assembled Knights with a determined face. 'This changes everything, that fool Baron Rivendare has torn my plan to pieces with his hasty move, killing the infected villagers is rash, but at least now we wont have to worry about additional undead reinforcements.

"Baron Rivendare has begun the attack ahead of plan, and is killing the infected villagers. There is nothing we can do to stop him, we can't openly fight the city garrison and the undead. We need to use Baron Rivendare's distraction to the best of our ability we will travel alongside the south eastern portion of the city then head west towards the graveyard, we will save as many civilians as possible, eliminate any undead in the way, and engage the Demon Mal'Ganis, I will fight him in single combat as the rest of our forces elminate the undead base of operations."

Aurius suddenly spoke out "What about the city garrison? They will be wiped out without additional reinforcements, they can only hold out against the undead for so long."

Arthas set his jaw and spoke "The city garrison and Baron Rivendare choose their fate the moment they defied my orders, and stared killing the infected civilians, they will have to hold their own lines without reinforcements, if they survive, we will decide what is to be done about them."

The forces under Arthas' command were assembled and began to head towards the southeastern portion of the city to avoid the undead, then head west towards the graveyard where the undead base was situated. Many undead were slain that strayed too close, and many civilians were saved that flocked towards their position. Arthas could see in the distance the battle that raged between the City Garrison led by Baron Rivendare, and the Undead forces that continued to hammer through the human defences. Arthas could see the many Watch Towers housing archers firing at will being crushed by the lumbering Abominations, each dead human soldier and civilian was raised into undead by Necromancers. 'Too bad Baron Rivendare is not ordering his ranged troops to focus down the Necromancers, and abominations' Arthas grimly thought. He could still see as the undead swept through the human defenders without the use of phalanxes, each individual footman being torn to shreds by multiple ghouls and zombies. 'We can't let their sacrifice be in vain, once the undead base is destroyed and their leader killed, the undead should fall apart.' Arthas rationalized as best as he could.

"Knights of the Silverhand charge forward! Form into a triangle formation, breach the undead lines, and let the regular soldiers battle the undead, half of the Knights will stay behind to aid the soldiers under Aurius Rivendares command, we will then move into the undead base and deal with Mal'Ganis. I will engage Mal'Ganis in single combat, while the rest of you cripple their ability to field any more forces, destroy their base. After that we will head towards Rivendare Keep and eliminate the rest of the undead and save the city garrison." Arthas roared as he took the point in the diamond formation with the Knights of the Silverhand.

As Arthas and his Knights punched a hole through the defending undead forces, he seperated his knights into the two groups, one to help the soldiers staying behind to battle the defending undead, and the other to help him defeat the undead base. Arthas turned to see the battle his soldiers were engaging in was not nearly as vicious as what the city garrison was experiencing, the Silverhand Knights that stayed behind healed and augmented the soldiers ability to fight the undead, saved dying footmen from the clutches of death, and fought the undead themselves in battle. 'My soldiers will be just fine, I need to push towards the base.' Arthas decided, pushing forward.

The undead base not well defended, so the Holy force comprised of a single Paladin, and many Knights of the Silverhand swept through the base eliminating any undead that began to rise from the grave, and destroying any corrupted buildings summoned from the abyss. However Arthas soon found his intended target, demonic being calling itself Mal'Ganis.

"Hmm how very fitting for you Prince Arthas, you would let your comrades die, at the chance to kill the enemy commander. You underestimate my power human, I am a Dreadlord!, a Nathrezim! You will not be victorious over me." Mal'Ganis taunted

"You underestimate my will to win, Demon. Humanity is in peril, but we are ferocious. This ferocity will be the tool for our salvation. We never give up, we never surrender, we will prevail!" Arthas bellowed and sent a bolt of pure holy light towards the Dreadlord.

Mal'Ganis howled in pain when the bolt of Holy Light hit him in a flash of light. He raised his claws and sent out a deadly wave of black energy trying to damage Arthas quickly. However the Paladins tough armor negated most of the damage. Arthas rushed towards the demon, raising his Warhammer preparing to slam it into the demons chest, but was deflected by the demonic wings of the Nathrezim, however Mal'Ganis was crippled now, unable to fly. Mal'Ganis slashed with his claws injuring Arthas, but healing himself in the process, Mal'Ganis was prepared to continue his assault on the injured Paladin, but a hail of holy light healing Arthas, and injuring Mal'Ganis crashed around the battle, the Knights of the Silverhand had finished destroying the Undead Bastion within Stratholme, and were prepared to help their Prince kill the demon. Mal'Ganis sensed this new problem and realized that victory was impossible now.

"I see your forces have finished destroying the base I have constructed, young prince. These Knights are prepared to help you end my existence, but we can't have that now can we?" Mal'Ganis observed.

Mal'Ganis shouted "Inferno!" as a boulder of chaotic energy clouded the skies, the Infernal slammed right ontop of Arthas, instantly stunning, and likely killing the young prince.

"Haha, see you fools, even your prince was not strong enough to stem the tide of the undead, quake in fear, I shall raise another army of the damned in Northern, chase if you dare!" Mal'Ganis gloated as he teleported away from the losing battle.

However Mal'Ganis did not notice that Arthas activated his Divine Shield to absorb the impact of the Inferal's summoning. Arthas survived the impact and began to pound away at the infernal's stone body filled with chaotic energy. The Knights of the Silverhand took the opportunity to join their prince in battle, activating their weaker divine shields to absorb the punishment from the Infernal's flaming immolation aura. The Infernal was unable to sustain the damage from the Holy energies from Arthas and his Knights. Once the Infernal was destroyed, Arthas assessed the situation.

'The undead bastion is destroyed, and Mal'Ganis thinks I am dead, this can only work to my advantage. None of my Knights of the Silverhand died, and it seemed that the division of Knights supporting my soldiers killing the undead defenders prevented anyone from dying with their healing energies. I couldn't ask for a better scenario after Baron Rivendares blunder.' Arthas thought to himself.

"Soldiers, and Knights of the Silverhand, we have eliminated the undead bastion, no further Undead will plague the streets of Stratholme, but now we need to secure the city, we need to help the remnants of the city garrison and Baron Rivendare at Rivendare Keep. Once we eliminate the Undead threat we will secure the city, and begin reconstruction of Stratholme." Arthas declared.

Arthas led his forces towards Rivendare Keep and saw how desolate the situation was, The Keep was besieged on all sides, and the entire city garrison was inside the keep leaving the civilians to their fate. Arthas charged forward on his horse, leading another diamond formation assault on the undead lines, his soldiers quickly followed up on his advance, and the combined fury from Arthas' attacking reinforcments and the remnants of the city garrison obliterated the rest of the undead forces.

Arthas then tallied up the number of fallen civilians, and city garrison soldiers, estimating that around thirty five percent of the city's civilian population was either killed, or zombified. The city garrison sustained about sixty five percent losses. Baron Rivendare survived the conflict as he was within the Keeps walls. 'What should I do about Baron Rivendare, he assumed military control of the city garrison after I explicitly told him to not interfere in the military. Should I execute him? Banish him? Or do nothing at all, he is a great administrator, and can help keep Stratholme's economy strong.' Arthas contemplated.

Suddenly a voice broke the silence as Baron Rivendare stormed out of the keep "ARTHAS! Where were your forces? The city garrison was obliterated due to your poor planning! Half of Stratholme is in ruins! What are you goi-" Baron Rivendare was stopped from continuing as Arthas punched him in the jaw.

"Let me make this clear, Baron, I am your Lord, and Crown Prince of the nation you are part of, you will address me as such. You have disobeyed my command to refrain from taking military control, and ruined the plan I had set up to lure the undead into a trap, you're son was going to command the city watch and build fortifications leading the Alonsus Chapel, however I don't need to explain myself further to you." Arthas was going to continue speaking when Baron Rivendare cut him off.

"I am your elder, and the Lord of Stratholme, Lordaeron is falling to pieces, this is MY city, and you have let it fall to ruin! What do you have to show for it? Nothing! You will answe-" Now Baron Rivendare was cut off by Arthas Raising him Warhammer.

"By my right of succession, and the sovereignty of my crown, I hereby relieve you of your command, and suspend your city watch from service. Now, get out of my sight." Arthas shouted at the noble.

"You will regret this... Prince." Came Baron Rivendares reply.

Arthas watched as the now Ex-Baron Rivendare led the city watch and any who would join him to the ships at the docks, and watched as they set sail away from Stratholme. 'Perhaps he will be able to be of assistance to my father when they arrive in Western Lordaeron.' Arthas thought.

"Aurius!" Arthas shouted.

Aurius Rivendare stepped forward slowly "Yes... my liege?"

"You are now the Lord of Stratholme, Baron Aurius Rivendare, you will no longer be a lieutenant under my command. You will take command of Stratholme, rebuild the city, and reestablish the city garrison. I expect Stratholme to have stronger defenses, and I want you to begin constructing a fleet as soon as possible, we will need a pathway to Quel'Thalas and Tyr's Hand by water. All bodies are to be cremated to prevent the undead from using their corpses. Oh, and Aurius, congratulations, I expect great deeds from you."

Arthas walked towards Alonsus Chapel and saw something he did not expect, Elven priests were already tending to the infected villagers, and wounded soldiers. 'This is excellent, however as I feared, for the elves to spare these priests Marywn had to stay and help aid in their campaign against the Amani Trolls.' Arthas thought.

"Greetings Prince Arthas, I am an Elven Emissary from King Anasterian Sunstrider. He welcomes your aid, the addition of Lieutenant Marywn and his large force of soldiers has helped turn the tide of battle, and was happy to spare priests to help you in the campaign against the undead. However if you require additional support, Zul'Jin and the rest of Zul'Aman will have to be dealt with first, He can't permit additional Rangers to fight the undead before that." The Emmisary explained.

"This is just as I feared, I was hoping for more Elven reinforcements, but we can make due for now. I was hoping to send more reinforcements to Lieutenant Marwyn but the devestating attack on Stratholme has greatly weaked our ability to defend Eastern Lordaeron. If I can't keep the undead in check, they will sack all of the human villages here, and a large undead host will attack Stratholme again, then Tyr's Hand, and then Quel'Thalas itself. However once I am able to fortify the bridge leading to eastern Lordaeron, I will gladly send a legion of soldiers to help King Anasterian Sunstrider end the Amani threat to both humans and elves." Arthas said eloquently.

'This is nothing that I did not expect though' Arthas quitely thought to himself.

"However Emissary before you leave, please tell King Anasterian that I want to open up more trade, and allow for troops to be transported through Quel'Thalas to Tyr's Hand and vice versa, by navy, instead of having our armies cross overland and come into conflict with the undead. I will gladly allow for Elven forces to use our Navy to be transported as well if need be." Arthas added after their brief talk.

"I am sure King Anasterian will be glad to allow this Prince Arthas, Once the Amani threat has been neutralized Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner will gather the rangers and march to your aid." The Emissary finished making his way back towards Quel'Thalas.

Arthas was excited. 'Sylvanas Windrunner is an amazing commander, I worked with her earlier in my campaigns against the Amani Trolls. Her rangers would truly turn the tide of the war in their favor, the elven sharpshooters could kill the slow undead from a distance, and human footmen in phalanx could hold against lesser undead. Perhaps I should divert more soldiers to Quel'Thalas so the elves are free to help us. I should write to my father, King Terenas, General Blackmoore, General Abbendis, and Lord Antonidas of Dalaran, I am sure he will share the contents of the letter to Jaina.

_King Terenas Menethil_

_ Father I am glad to write to you from Stratholme, I have saved the city from the undead advances, and will begin fortifying Eastern Lordaeron. I have banished Baron Rivendare and replaced him with his son after he disobeyed my direct orders. I hope you are holding the Western portion of the Kingdom well. I am sure Lord Uther is doing a fine job of halting the undead advances. I hope you are doing well father, and I hope Lord Uther is in good health as well. - Arthas Menthil, Prince of Lordaeron_

_Aedelas Blackmoore, Master of Durnholde_

_ General I hope my reinforcements have gotten to you safely, I have heard that Andorhal has been overrun, the Orcs can't be allowed to overrun Southern Lordaeron. I am placing you in command of the forces I have sent under Captain Luc Valonforth, I have requested him to act as your second in command. I have stopped the Undead forces assaulting Stratholme, and am fortifying Eastern Lordaeron, and will eventually try to push out toward Andorhal, hopefully then our armies can regroup and end this undead menance. - Arthas Menethil, Prince of Lordaeron_

_General Abbendis, Lord of Tyr's Hand_

_ General, I hope my second in command, Captain Falric, and his forces have reached you quickly enough, and I hope the army I have commissioned is being trained well. Baron Rivendare has been banished for disobeying my direct orders, his son Aurius has replaced him. Stratholme was attacked by the Undead through the graveyard, I have ordered all bodies to be cremated, I suggest you do the same. The elves of Quel'Thalas have sent assistance to Stratholme, but only because I sent a large force of soldiers under lieutenant Marwyn to aid them in their strife against the Amani Trolls. I am unsure of how to act. I would like your advice on the matter, please travel to Stratholme at your earliest convience. - Arthas Menethil, Prince of Lordaeron_

_Lord Antonidas, Leader of the Kirin Tor_

_ Archmage, I hope Lady Proudmoore has made it to you safely, I have asked her for additional reinforcements from Dalaran to help fight the undead, but now that Lordaeron has been split in half due to the undead menance at Andorhal, I know that wont be possible. However I ask you instead to send aid to my father, and Lord Uther, in Western Lordaeron, I am not sure if the Undead are being held at bay or not. Please show this to Lady Proudmoore so she knows I am alive and safe. The undead besieged Stratholme before, but were driven out. - Arthas Menethil, Prince of Lordaeron_

After Arthas had sent out a rider with letters to each location, Arthas could only hope that the rest of his Kingdom was faring well against this Scourge, the Scourge of Lordaeron.

_**Authors Notes!**_

_**Wow, so this was a longer chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. PLEASE REVIEW! I love being able to read a review and smile knowing that someone cared enough to actually say something to me about the story, or my writing style, or anything in particular.**_

_**P.S. I'm not sure if you got my response Krizrin, But I did say something back to you in a Private Message. Thank you again for the first Review!**_


	4. Fall of the South

_**Prophecy or Pride**_

It was about a month since Arthas sent out the letters to his father, General Abbendis, General Blackmoore, and Lord Antonidas. General Abbendis and Captain Falric had many a lot of progress in training the new recruits at Tyr's Hand, Baron Aurius Rivendare has begun to replenish the Stratholme City Garrison, the reconstruction of Stratholme, and the construction of a fleet to protect Stratholme's port. Lieutenant Marwyn has had little success in pushing into Zul'Aman due to a lack of support from the Elves for offensive campaigns, it seemed like the Elves wanted more soldiers before beginning an attack.

Currently Arthas sat in his solar at Stratholme located in Alonsus Chapel, sitting across from him were two powerful looking nobles. General Abbendis, and his daughter Bridgette Abbendis, both warriors in their own right, and both expert commanders. 'I should be sure to put their military knowledge to good use.' Arthas thought to himself. Arthas was just reading the letters he got from his father, General Blackmoore, and Lord Antonidas.

Arthas looked at his company and said "Would you mind if I read these letters before we start?"

"Of course Prince Arthas, go right ahead." General Abbendis responded.

Arthas first looked at the letter from his father and decided to save that for last, he picked up the letter from General Blackmoore and opened its contents.

_Prince Arthas_

_ I am sorry to be the one to tell you this Prince Arthas, but Durnholde has fallen to the Orcs, Ogrim Doomhammer led a large force of Orcs to Durnholde and freed the orcish slaves. General Blackmoore was unable to escape from the fortress, and was slain in combat. Fortunately the Orc Warchief Ogrim Doomhammer was also slain, there is no clue weather the Orcs have a new Warchief or not, and it is not certain what exactly they are planning to do. I have taken the survivors of Durnholde, and the majority of the forces you placed under my command to Strahnbrad, however Andorhal has been overrun by the undead, I will not be able to hold this settlement, I was going to try and march south towards Southshore and Dalaran, but the pass through the Alterac Mountains has been covered by Orcs and Ogres, I am going to take the entire civilian population and soldiers towards Stromgarde. King Thoras Trollbane has recently died and outside forces are trying to destroy the Kingdom, I am going to convince King Galen Trollbane to abandon the city and flee by ship to south shore, then towards Dalaran. I am sorry my Prince, but Southern Lordaeron, and The Nation of Stromgarde will not be held. I will do my best to salvage the situation. - Captain Luc Valonforth_

Arthas shook with fury, Southern Lordaeron has been lost, no less to the Orcs. 'Without Durnholde all of the Orcish people can be rallied into a new Horde, we can't stop all of these enemies, we are being surrounded on all sides, Dalaran will now have to keep the horde in check without the soldiers of Lordaeron, this will be a near impossible feat. I am happy Luc is doing well though, and he has made a prudent decision, he will save as many people as he can, and retreat towards Dalran while taking as little losses as possible. He deserves a promotion.' Arthas thought to himself.

Arthas then looked at the letter from Lord Antonidas and opened it carefully.

_Prince Arthas_

_ Greetings young prince, I am glad you have sought my counsel. I have recognized the threat the Undead pose not just to Lordaeron, but to all the surrounding nations, and have acted accordingly, however I have no news from the Western front yet, no requests for reinforcements have been made, and if reports are true, Durnholde has fallen, so I must prepare the Magi for war against the Horde once again, the Orcs of the Alterac mountains can be deadly. I may be able to give King Terenas reinforcements if he asks for them but he does not I must keep my forces in reserve for the Horde marches once again. Jaina has been different recently I am not sure what she is planning on doing but she has been distant. Perhaps you should write to her directly. Be well Prince Arthas – Lord Antonidas_

Arthas smiled 'At least Lord Antonidas is prepared, I am sure he can hold off the Horde, especially with the reinforcements he will receive from Captain Valonforth and hopefully King Galen Trollbane.'

Arthas hesitated opening up the last letter from his own father, but carefully broke the wax seal which showed the Menethil crest.

_My son_

_ My strong leader of men, I am so glad to hear you have survived the conflicts with the Undead, and that you are leading our forces in the east. I am so proud you have held Stratholme from the undead. I am certain you will contain the undead threat in the east, and hopefully be able to push out and quell this plague of undeath. I am too old myself to lead our western armies, but Lord Uther and the Paladins and Knights of the Silverhand that are with him are doing wonders to help our defense. Lord Garithos is commanding the Soldiers we have mustered in the Tirisfal Glades, and is bringing them towards the frontlines. There has been no word from Baron, or Ex-Baron Rivendare though, he has not made his way to the Capitol City. Calia has asked about you, we should consider more suitors for her I believe, although this may not be the right time. Speaking of suitors have you found anyone my son? You will be King one day yourself, a great king!, but you will heirs of your own. - Terenas Menethil, King of Lordaeron._

Arthas could only grin as he finished reading the letter. 'I was expecting very bad news based on what happened in the South, thank the Light that the West has held, Uther, and Lord Garithos must have been doing well then. Although father is right Calia should have been married already, and I should be engaged. I will need to keep an eye out for suitors. If only Jaina and I never... No that's not going to solve anything.'

After reading all three letters, Arthas stood and explained how Southern Lordaeron had been lost with the fall of Durnholde, and how the survivors were headed towards Stromgarde to convince King Galen Trollbane to flee to Dalaran.

General Abbendis scratched his beard thoughtfully "We could send our ships from Tyr's Hand to pick up the survivors and bring them back to us Prince Arthas, however I do know the Dalaran Magi could use additional soldiers to help end the Orcish Uprising."

Arthas looked at Bridgette Abbendis and noticed her proud stance, and fiery red hair, quite the beautiful woman. "What about you Ms. Abbendis, do you have any advice?"

The woman looked at Arthas with indifference and replied "There is nothing else that needs to be said on the matter, Mr. Menethil, my father listed the only two options available. We don't have enough standing forces to defend Stratholme, and Tyr's Hand, while mounting and offense in conjunction with the Southern forces on Andorhal, it would be suicide. I think that letting the forces go south towards Dalaran is detrimental to OUR cause, but I do know the mages will need the extra support of those soldiers."

Arthas smiled and said "I'm glad you are a strategist too, Bridgette Abbendis, I will need more tactical minds to help me save this land. You are both right, those are our only two options. The man in charge of the Southern Forces right now is my own Captain Luc Valonforth, he will continue towards Stromgarde and rendezvous at Dalaran with the Mages. This does leave us with the biggest problem of all, Should we send more reinforcements to the elves, and try to eliminate the Amani Threat? Or try to focus our efforts on the undead at our doorstep?"

General Abbendis spoke first "Sending additional soldiers to Lieutenant Marwyn in Quel'Thalas could yield a high return, if the Amani Trolls can be wiped out quickly, however I don't think that is likely. Keeping the bulk of our newly trained forces here in Stratholme, until we are able to fortify the bridge connecting us to the West could be a more prudent idea. Once that is fortified we can send messengers to King Terenas and Lord Uther suggesting a joint operation to attack Andorhal, once we can reconnect with our western forces we can defend Northern Lordaeron from the undead and orcish threat in the South. Then when we have spare troops we can send a large influx of forces towards Silvermoon in order to end the threat of Zul'Aman.

Taken by suprise Arthas replied "You also think quite far in advance Lord Abbendis, I believe you are leaning towards fortifying the bridge, then retaking Andorhal and reconnecting with our Western Forces."

"What about you Bridgette?" Arthas inquired

Bridgette Abbendis stared at Arthas before starting "News from the West is either very old or just wrong, we don't know if the western half of the Kingdom is still strong, or even strong enough to mount an attack with us on Andorhal. However our Elven allies only need a small push to kill off the Amani Trolls plaguing them. I think it's obvious we need to quickly destroy the trolls, and free our Elven allies to help us assault the undead in Andorhal, Arthas."

Arthas looked at both Father and Daughter, before asking "Bridgette please go speak with Captain Falric, tell him I want half of our standing forces ready to march in one week. You and I will lead this force to Quel'Thalas and join up with Lieutenant Marwyn, and Ranger General Sylvanas. General Abbendis you will begin the fortification of the Bridge with Captain Falric as your second in command. Baron Aurius Rivendare will continue mustering forces for the Stratholme City Garrison and will lead the forces stationed there. Any objections?"

"None Sire." both Abbendis' spoke in unison.

As Bridgette Abbendis moved to follow her orders, Arthas stopped General Abbendis from leaving.

"General Abbendis, my father has some concerns for myself and the Menethil Line. He wants me to begin looking for suitors, and probably to marry. I do not want to get engaged, or married yet, but I understand his cause for concern. I believe your daughter is intelligent, beautiful, and willful. I think those are great traits for a Queen to be. Do you think I am right?" Arthas questioned.

General Abbendis was silent before thoughtfully scratching his beard again. "If you are asking me for permission to pursue my daughter, I agree. However actually getting her to agree is the difficult part of the equation."

Arthas sighed before replying "I am not sure if she will become my wife one day, but I thought it best to ask for your permission, she might turn me down immediately."

General Abbendis laughed saying "She might, but I must begin overseeing the defense of the bridge with Captain Falric, speak to my daughter if you want to know more." as General Abbendis walked away.

Arthas made his way out of his solar and towards the Stratholme town center where Captain Falric was issuing the new orders for deployment.

Seeing his Prince Falric said "Arthas, how are you, it seems like you made your decision, I think exterminating the Trolls is long overdue, and will secure us a large army of elven reinforcements once we are finished."

Arthas grabbed his friend by the shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

"**WHAT! REALLY? **I never would have imagined, she would be a fine queen, Arthas." Falric said quietly.

"Who would be a fine queen Falric?" Bridgette Abbendis said to the two men by themselves.

"Arthas I need to go speak to the men, and get them ready for deployment, like you ordered, bye." Falric exclaimed before running off.

Bridgette raised an eyebrow at Arthas expecting him to continue with the question.

Arthas raised up his hands and exclaimed "I was just asking his advice, so don't get mad at him, but we were talking about you. My father has strongly hinted that I should take a wife, and I believe there is merit in what he says. Do you think there is any merit in what he says?"

Bridgette stepped back and said "Why do you want me for a wife? What value to you do I have? What makes you think I would be a good Queen?"

Arthas took a step forward and said "I have not made any decisions yet, but I think you would be a strong willful Queen that would uphold the traditions of Lordaeron. You would help me rule Lordaeron with a balanced hand, and would teach our children the art of war if I could not. I also like the red color of your hair.

Bridgette squeezed her fist tightly and replied "I am not a choice Arthas Menethil, I do not get wait listed, but if you want to get to know me better, we will have plenty of time to do that in our campaign against the Amani Trolls."

Arthas smiled "Yes we have plenty of time to get to know each other better."

Arthas and Bridgette both went their seperate ways. Arthas had a lot to think about, taking a wife was not something that should be rushed, and would be set aside until the Amani Tribe was finished off. Arthas decided to write another message to his father.

_King Terenas Menethil_

_ Father I have taken your words into consideration, I am considering choosing Bridgette Abbendis as my wife, do you have any thoughts about this choice? I know she is of high birth, and a military commander, but I think those are positive traits in a woman, especially a woman who will one day rule as Queen. I have also thought of a suitor for Calia, Tirion Fordring might be a good candidate, he rules over Mardenholde Keep, and I left him charge of defending the province before I left for Stratholme. I have decided to allocate more of our forces to helping the Elves eliminate the Trolls of Zul'Aman, once they are wiped out the Elves will be free to help us defeat the Undead, we just have to hold until then. Let me know what you think on the matter, ask Lord Uther for his opinion as well. Lord Antonidas has said he would provide reinforcements if you asked for them, but he assumes you are well defended for now. My life for Lordaeron. - Arthas Menethil, Heir of Lordaeron._

With the letter complete, Arthas summoned a rider to move quickly and undetected to the Capitol City.

Arthas sighed and thought about what else had to be done. 'The prophet said that this land was doomed, but we seem to be holding the undead back on both fronts, only Southern Lordaeron fell, but that was alright, and reclaimable once the Undead threat was neutralized. Perhaps the worst has yet to come, Mal'Ganis said he would raise another army in Northrend. Mal'Ganis would probably try to attack Stratholme again, I should have docks fortified incase of an Undead invasion force.'

Arthas knew there was going to be a lot of work that to be done in the next few days. Thousands of lives hung in the palm of his hands. The Amani campaign had to be successful this time, or else Eastern Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas would not be able to unite into one cohesive fighting force, and that could prove fatal eventually. 'What about Sylvanas? Would the people accept her?' Arthas thought before retiring to his solar for some well deserved rest.

_**Authors Notes!**_

_**Hey guys, I was feeling kind of generous, so I decided to post TWO! Chapters today.**_

_**I'm not that good with writing relationship scenes and such, so it might have have been THAT well done, but thats where you can help me fix it by reviewing!**_

_**And no Bridgette Abbendis is not set in stone to become Queen, But I thought she would be a good Logical choice. Feel free to leave a comment about other characters that would be suited to become Queen. And No I have not forgotten about Jaina.**_

_**Until next time**_

_**Aeronization**_


	5. Unity or Segregation

**Prophecy or Pride**

A week has passed since Arthas ordered the fortification of Eastern Lordaeron, the bridge that led to Andorhal, and the western portion of the nation was currently under construction. General Abbendis was left in charge of overseeing the defense of Tyr's Hand, and the new fortification, with Captain Falric acting as his second in command. Lord Aurius Rivendare gathered a large number of recruits and begun their training for the new city garrison at Stratholme, and continued to oversee the construction of Stratholmes homes, and the fortifications ordered at the docks. Bridgette Abbendis had gathered up half of the new legion that was recently trained by Captain Falric and prepared them for the campaign eastward against the trolls.

'Today is the day.' Arthas thought to himself as he walked towards encampment that was headed east. 'If I can crush the trolls quickly, then the elves will be free to help us take back the rest of Lordaeron, and end this plague, may the Light be with Lord Uther, and whomever survives in the South.'

As Arthas neared the center of the camp, he saw Bridgette Abbendis

"Move it! I wanted to be headed East an hour ago." Yelled Bridgette.

Arthas laughed as he moved to her. "You were going to leave without me? I thought I was in charge of this operation. It looks like you have everyone moving along quite well without me."

Bridgette turned to him and said "You didn't arrive quickly enough, so I took command and starting preparing everyone for battle, we can't delay, every second means the Scourge gathers more undead for their cause."

Arthas took a brief moment to think, and then ordered all of the soldiers nearby to attention.

"Listen well soldiers, my officers have been spread very thin, leading survivors in the South, soldiers in Quel'Thalas and aiding us here in Stratholme and Tyr's Hand. Let me introduce you all to this campaigns second in command, Commander Bridgette Abbendis." Arthas declared to his soldiers.

Arthas heard a gasp of surprise, he knew that she was a Captain from her previous military experience, and being a daughter of a General, it was to be expected.

"Prince Arthas, you do me great honor by having such confidence in me, I will see this mission through until the end." Came the newly promoted Commanders voice.

"Do you have anything you want to add Commander?" Arthas asked.

"I expect perfection from each and every one of you, I expect no hesitation, and I expect no mercy. The enemies we face, be they Undead, or Troll, will give you nothing but death. We fight for our families, and a chance to free ourselves from fear!" Commander Abbendis shouted to her new soldiers.

All of the assembled soldiers raised their fists to their heart and shouted "For Lordaeron!"

The encampment broke immediately afterwards. Arthas and Bridgette led the soldiers across the uncorrupted farmland towards the Elven Capital of Silvermoon. As they reached the forests of Quel'Thalas and the elfgates protecting their Kingdom, Elven Rangers greeted them.

"Greetings Prince Arthas, we are here to escort you to Silvermoon, your soldiers may join your comrades near the border." An Elven Ranger said.

Arthas turned towards his new second in command, Bridgette Abbendis, and replied. "Take the soldiers to where Lieutenant Marwyn is stationed, you will take command of our forces for the time being, he will act as your second in command until I return. Take any action you deem necessary against the Amani."

Commander Abbendis bowed, and led their troops to their brethern on the frontier.

Arhas turned back to his escort and said "Thank you for offering to lead me to Silvermoon, I have never been there before, as few humans have."

The Ranger snorted before saying "We are reclusive, and tend not to like outsiders. However we do know the friendship you humans have given us in our many conflicts. We wont be leading you all the way to Silvermoon though, only to our leader, she will lead you the rest of the way, we have to return to the frontier, or else the trolls may find a way to break our formations."

As the company made their way into Quel'Thalas, they finally reached a large elven encampment, and were greated by the Ranger General herself, Sylvanas Windrunner.

"Greetings Prince Arthas, I am Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger General of these Lands. I am here to take you to Silvermoon to speak with our King, Anasterian Sunstrider." Sylvanas explained.

Arthas couldn't help but appreciate the natural beauty of the elves, never aging, never falling ill to disease, their glowing eyes of blue or green. 'Such a beauty, but very dangerous, her bow is finely crafted.' Arthas thought.

"Thank you Ranger General Sylvanas, I appreciate the escort, and the company. Perhaps you can tell me more about your bow on the way there." Arthas said, trying to start up some conversation.

As the two moved away from the encampment and towards the center of High Elf life, Silvermoon, Sylvanas decided to tell Arthas more about her bow.

"This is the Sunstrider's Longbow, quite a masterpiece of elven craftmenship. It was once used by Dath'Remar Sunstrider as he led my people here from Kalimdor. This longbow can imbue the arrows shot from it with fire, very lethal against the trolls and their regenerative powers." Sylvanas explained with excitement.

'Most people must not ask about her longbow. She mentioned Kalimdor though, that is where I am supposed to lead my people to, to survive the coming destruction. However we are still holding our ground well here, the prophet must have been mistaken to believe the Alliance would fall so easily.' Arthas mused to himself.

"What about your weapon Prince Arthas? It's improper to ask a lady about her weapon, and not tell her about yours." Sylvanas smirked to herself.

Arthas was glad he was not so young anymore and said "My lady, I wield a Warhammer crafted from the best smiths of Lordaeron, and was blessed by Uther himself with powers of the Holy Light. All Paladins wield weapons blessed by the Light. Not nearly as ancient as the Sunstrider's Longbow, but it suits my needs quite well. Especially against the undead menace we face in Lordaeron, however I doubt a Troll will survive a blow from this Warhammer either."

"What do you seek by helping us Prince Arthas" Sylvanas suddenly exclaimed.

"Please, just call me Arthas, no need for titles, and that is a loaded question, Lady Sylvanas. I can gain quite a bit from diverting some of our soldiers to help your cause. While we are indeed under constant threat from the Undead, we want to make sure that you can provide assistance to us when we are in need, so we will do all we can, while we can, to help destroy the Amani Trolls." Arthas finished explaining.

"You wont find much help in Silvermoon Arthas, King Anasterian Sunstrider is a fickle elf. He will want many concessions in return for our aid. However I can promise my rangers to your cause, if not the entirety of the Quel'Thalas military. I will make King Anasterian see that much, if you can't do so yourself." Sylvanas pledged.

Arthas smiled looking into glowing blue eyes. "Thank you for your support, my people will need much in the months ahead. Our legions grow thinner everyday, we lack mages and priests to heal our soldiers, and experienced archers to weaken the undead lines. Lordaeron has always had a strong formation of frontline soldiers, but we have always needed the ranged support from Dalaran, and Quel'Thalas. Our position here in Eastern Lordaeron prevents me from requesting support from Dalaran, with the Scourge between us. However we are in a perfect position to receive support from you elves, and we are in the perfect position to give support to you elves." Arthas finished exclaiming.

Arthas and Syvlanas continued to speak while they traveled to Sunstrider Spire, where the High Elven King waited.

Sylvanas walked first and bowed. "Your highness, this is Prince Arthas Menethil, Marshall of Eastern Lordaeron."

King Anasterian Sunstrider stood from his throne and smiled. "Welcome Prince Arthas, I am glad you could make it, and with an army no less. I was not expecting you to send so much aid."

"Thank you for your hospitality King Anasterian, and why would you be surprised with our aid? I have led previous campaigns against the Amani. However let me explain why I am so keen to help you, and your people. You are aware of the Undeath Scourge attacking my kingdom. They have divided Lordaeron into three distinct regions. Western Lordaeron, Eastern Lordaeron, and Southern Lordaeron. Southern Lordaeron has been annihilated by the destruction of Durnholde, and death of Aedelas Blackmoore. He was tasked with keep the Horde in check, but failed in his duty, and now the Horde has emerged once again. Luckally Ogrim Doomhammer was slain in the battle. With the horde running rampant in the South, and the undead spreading from Andorhal, any survivors will not be able to flee anywhere. Except by boat, to Tyr's Hand. I will be in need of supplies to help these refugees, and hope you can assist." Arthas explained to himself as he ran a hand through his golden hair.

Anasterian Sunstrider stared for what seemed to be an eternity. "Is that all? You just want supplies to help incoming refugees? I was expecting you to demand military help. For your assistance in destroying the Amani Trolls I will grant you as much as we can spare in terms of supplies."

Arthas sighed knowing he had to continue. "Thank you for your generosity. There is more however. I do not plan to simply strengthen the defenses at Stratholme and Tyr's Hand. I want to secure the entirety of Eastern Lordaeron. I have ordered the construction of a massive battlement at the bridge connecting Western and Eastern Lordaeron. I want the villagers to be able to produce food, and trade, and help us survive this plague. When this battlement is finished It will be protecting the countryside, Stratholme, and Tyr's Hand, but Quel'Thalas will also be protected from the Undead as well. I would like Ranger General Sylvanas to lead some of your forces to this battlement to help defend both our Kingdoms. We humans of Lordaeron have many soldiers prepared to defend the frontline, but we lack experienced mages, priests, and archers to support them."

Anasterian Sunstrider nodded to himself. "I knew there must have been more. You want me to send more of my people to die for you, to protect Lordaeron? I am not against negotiation, but I will not mobilize my forces to fight for you. I will give you all the supplies we can spare, but I will not order my people to fight your battles."

Sylvanas took this opportunity to speak. "King Anasterian, what about a force of volunteers? Prince Arthas is asking for Ranged support. Not many elves will die shooting their bows, and launching arcane energies at their foes, and priests are even less likely to be in combat. Lordaeron is providing us with the help we need to exterminate the trolls. We have not had an opportunity like this in ages, many would like to return their kindness. Let me organize a force of volunteers that will help Lordaeron defend both of our Kingdoms."

King Anasterian laughed to himself before saying "You have had this planned the entire time havn't you Sylvanas? You knew I would deny him military support. Very well then, you can bring any volunteers with you to help Prince Arthas at this battlement he is constructing. Prince Arthas I wish you luck in defeating the Trolls, however I must meet with the Convocation of Silvermoon on other matters."

As Arthas and Sylvanas left the Sunstrider Spire, they both decided to head back towards their camps, and made more small talk getting to know each other better.

"Thank you again for what you did today Sylvanas, I was not sure how to convince him to send reinforcements to battle the undead, We will desperately need you and your elves to defend ourselves and push them back eventually." Arthas said gratefully.

Sylvanas smiled saying "We elves are not easy prey, and we repay our debts, once the trolls are dead, I will gather up as many volunteers as I can and march to Stratholme. You're welcome though Arthas, let me know if I can help you with anything else."

Rubbing the back of his neck Arthas chuckled. "I might need something else done, but not right now, I will see you on the battlefield Ranger General. I will call for you when we are making plans to siege Zul'Aman, hopefully we can kill or capture their leader before then."

"Farewell Arthas, I will lead my Rangers in scouting the enemies positions." Sylvanas said as she walked off to gather her forces to hunt for any enemies.

Before walking back to his encampment Arthas took a moment to think to himself. 'I was hoping for Anasterian to commit more help to the battlement, but Sylvanas' timely suggestion will be enough, Elven volunteers will be more willing to integrate with my human forces. Thankfully Anasterian agreed to supply me with resources to help shelter the incoming refugees from Southern Lordaeron, many will flee by boat towards Tyr's Hand, I wouldn't want to turn them without due to a lack of supplies. Once I have Eastern Lordaeron secured I will have to coordinate with Lord Uther and his Paladins to retake Andorhal. Once it is retaken Western and Eastern Lordaeron can commit their forces to one location.' As Arthas neared where his forces were stationed in Quel'Thalas, he spotted Commander Abbendis, and Lieutenant Marwyn.

"My Prince, It is good to see you again, I'm glad the undead did not overwhelm you when I took so many soldiers here to aid the elves." Lieutenant Marwyn greeted.

"Marwyn, I'm glad to see you in once piece, I assume you have been giving the trolls a taste of Lordaeral Steel, and not to worry, the undead wont hamper us, the Light guides us." Arthas said returning the greeting.

"Arthas, I have gathered the forces we brought with us, and the soldiers already here under Lieutenant Marwyn's command into a single Legion. I have also set up patrols with the elven rangers to help detect any movement from the enemy. I have also informed the soldiers of the new command structure, with myself as your second in command, and Marwyn as your third in command." Bridgette Abbendis said in a no nonsense manner.

Arthas glanced at his second in command, then at his lieutenant. "We need to end this campaign quickly. The defenses that your father, General Abbendis, is constructing will need the entire might of our forces, or else the Scourge might break through and besiege both Stratholme and Tyr's Hand. We are racing against the clock. We must speak with Ranger General Sylvanas and discuss how to crush the Amani Tribe quickly."

Arthas and his officers made way to the Elven encampment near their own in order to speak with Sylvanas Windrunner, and make plans to end the threat from Zul'Aman. As the group entered the elven command tent, only one person was seated waiting for them, Sylvanas.

"Ah Prince Arthas you have arrived." Syvlanas said glancing at his companions. "It looks like you brought company, I did not know you wanted others to help us plan our strategy against the trolls."

"We are your officers? Differing opinions and discourse can help eliminate any poor ideas that are passed off as strategy. We are here to help ensure the Human and Elf forces can coordinate and battle the Trolls as effectively as possible. Then to return to defending OUR homeland." Bridgette said in response to what she perceived as a condescending tone.

Sylvanas looked surprise. "This one has much audacity to speak to me in such a manner, your companion is bold Prince Arthas." Sylvanas turned to Bridgette annd said "Perhaps your opinion will weigh more than the others I have heard in my long life." Lastly Sylvanas turned to Lieutenant Marwyn. "You have led your soldiers against the trolls for quite awhile in our defense. I will value your opinion, Lieutenant, Thank you for your service."

Arthas was relieved that he would be able to discuss a strategy against the trolls without much difficulty. "Now that we are all fully acquainted, we need to discuss how to defeat these trolls as quickly as possible. Lieutenant Marwyn tell us what you have discovered about the trolls during your time fighting against them."

Lieutenant Marwyn snapped to attention. "My Prince, while I was leading our expidetionary force against the trolls, I have learned they prefer to use guerrilla tactics, not engaging us directly, but quick skirmishes to thin our ranks. Any damage we might inflict upon them is quickly healed because they retreat before taking any fatal damage, their regenerative blood is their greatest assest."

"I agree with the Lieutenant's assessment of the trolls. They have been doing the same to us for many years. They never try to fight directly, only hassle our patrols, and supply lines, killing when opportune, then retreating before taking significant casualties." Sylvanas said in agreement. While slamming her fists on the table. "We can't defeat them in open battle because we can't force them into a fight."

"Arthas, if I can interject, I would like to say we might not be able to end this campaign quickly if the trolls will not commit to any battles. Our only hope would be to besiege their settlements in an attempt to draw them into a lasting engagement. However the trolls might just give ground, and fall back to their capital. Depending on how crafty their leader is, we might have to just besiege Zul'Aman and attempt to crush their forces there. However it would be a bloody battle, many humans, elves, and trolls would die." Bridgette said, giving her honest opinion of the battle that was to come.

Arthas looked around, everyone was correct in their assessment. "In my previous campaigns against the trolls I also noticed their hit and run tactics, however they had no overall strategy as to defeat us. We can use this to our advantage, if they were leaderless, their forces would crumble as no one would know what to do other than their previous hit and run tactics. Commander Abbendis is correct, in a siege of Zul'Aman, we would likely be victorious, but we would lose too many forces to defend ourselves against the Undead in Lordaeron. This is what I believe is the best course of action, I will lead our combined forces in a frontal assault against Zul'Aman forcing the trolls into an open battle. Commander Abbendis, and Lieutenant Marwyn will lead the Human forces from the frontline, while I coordinate the ranged Elven support to target their witch doctors and axe throwers."

Arthas saw a disapproving look upon Sylvanas' face. "You wil lead the Elves in combat? No, I am the Ranger General of Quel'Thalas, I will lead my rangers in battle."

"You Elves are not easy prey correct? Agree to let me lead our combined support forces against the trolls, I have another mission for you. I want you to take some of your elite rangers and assassinate the Amani Warlord, Zul'Jin. I have no soldiers that can complete that mission, no one has been trained in the art of stealth as well as the elves. Once you assassinate Zul'Jin, the Amani forces should begin panicking, and once that happens the battle is ours." Arthas said explaining his reasoning to Sylvanas.

Sylvanas smirked. "You have led campaigns against the trolls before, so you are an experienced leader against them. I never had the opportunity to attempt an assassination before, because I always had to command my forces. Alright Prince Arthas, I will give you command of our ranged support, while your officers lead from the frontline. I will slip in undetected with some of my best rangers and assassinate Zul'Jin, I will then lead my strike force towards the rear of the enemy formations and prevent them from fleeing."

Arthas shook his head. "No, I can't risk you like that, the retreating Trolls might take that moment to end the reign of Ranger General Sylvanas. I need you to survive this battle so you can gather an army of volunteers to help me defend Eastern Lordaeron. Once you assassinate Zul'Jin quickly retreat back to our forces, and help lead the rest of your Rangers against the Trolls."

With the battle plan decided, Arthas strolled into the center of his soldiers encampment and called everyone in attention. Every footmen, knight, archer, and healer stood in formation, prepared for combat a moments call. Looking around at the warriors assembled in front of him, Arthas only felt pride, these people survived the Scourge so far, and were willing to join forces with the Elves to end their plight against the Trolls, Honorable was the word that came to mind. Arthas raised his Warhammer to the sky!

"Warriors of Lordaeron, Thank you for joining me in this campaign against the Trolls, we are going to strengthen the ties between Human and Elf once more this day. When the Amani Warlord Zul'Jin is dead, and Zul'Aman in shambles, The High Elf King Anasterian Sunstrider has agreed to send us reinforcements and supplies to aid us against the Undead. Some of you must have been wondering why we would go to war for the Elves, when Undead are at our doorstep, but you must remember that while Zul'Aman stands, Quel'Thalas can't send us any aid, and if the Trolls overcame the elves, we would have to keep the Undead, and Trolls back. We would become overwhelmed and forced into our cities. We would starve, so when we fight here, remember what would happen if we did not fight. Once this is over we can reclaim our lost lands, we can rebuild the Kingdom, and we will become stronger from these battles."

Commander Bridgette Abbendis raised her Axe high in the sky and ordered all the forces at their encampment to begin making preparing for the siege of Zul'Aman, she then ordered Lieutenant Marwyn to ensure that Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner was preparing her elves to mobilize.

Bridgette then turned to Arthas saying "Arthas, goodluck commanding the Elven forces, keep me and the rest of our soldiers well protected, I'm counting on you."

Arthas nodded to his second in command, and made his way to the Elven encampment to prepare them for combat. As Arthas neared the Elf main base he was greeted by Sylvanas, who showed him her lieutenants and where to best use the terrain to their advantage. The high ground would give the elven rangers and magi better positioning because of their greater range. Arthas took this into account when Sylvanas suddenly turned and said.

"I expect a sound victory Arthas, while I kill Zul'Jin, lead the combined might of The Alliance against these insects."

"Lady Sylvanas, I will not falter, The Amani will leave no legacy behind, the trolls will never threaten our borders ever again." Arthas confidently to the ageless Elf.

The drums of war spread throughout Zul'Aman as the combined Human and Elf armies slowly made their way toward the Amani Capital. The steel weapons of the Lordaeral Knights, Silverhand Initiates, and common footmen glistened, seemingly aware of the battle that was to come. The Elven Rangers and Magi sounded like a song between the marching, enchanting, and the twangs of longbows. Arthas could only think to himself 'The Battle for Zul'Aman will see my people saved, or doomed.'.

_**Authors Notes!**_

_**Hey Guys! I'm happy to bring you another chapter in Prophecy or Pride.**_

_**Let me know if you like the character development, I'm gonna have to start showing Falric/Marwyn more love. I will feature them much more in the coming chapters.**_

_**I was suggested a harem relationship for Arthas, does anyone else like that Idea? I'm not sure where I'll go with it, and it wont really be the main portion of the story, I want really get into the political intrigue that will happen after the Battle. We will be seeing some letters from again soon too!.**_

_**Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate the support. And KEEP REVIEWING!**_


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